Karr was walking down from the north side of town, reminiscing a time when he was this country’s general. After walking through familiar paths and passing by townsfolk that are running in fear, he spotted two guardsmen keeping sentry at a big round stone building.
He spotted the same apprentice mage that ran from the slaughter earlier, yelling and screaming, “The goblins are coming! The goblins are coming!”
The two guardsmen looked at the young apprentice running off towards the far north side of town, still yelling in distress. They both looked at each other with worrisome looks, like they’re pondering if they should head to join the fight to defend the town, or remain here on guard.
Karr walks on up towards them, arms crossed and eyeing them curiously as they nervously try to stand firm, but with difficulty because Karr towers over them.
“It would be wise, for both of you to assist the fight south of town instead of pointlessly guarding this building.” Karr suggested with a deep soothing voice that made the guards feel unease.
“Should…Shouldn’t you-“ One of the guardsmen nervously tried to reply with a question back, only to be interrupted by Karr.
“I’m an old, retired fellow soldier. I would assist the fight, but it would be best for young, able-bodied soldiers such as you to join the fray. For now, I’m just assisting and warning the townsfolk to get to safety. If the goblins manage to reach this far, I will fight along with the townsfolk but that is if they get this far. That shouldn’t be a problem if you younglings help prevent that from happening.” Karr finished with a wink that managed to set the guardsmen at ease.
“Yeah, we should go to where we’re needed most.” One guardsman said to the other.
“Now that he mentions it, he actually does look familiar. Like I’ve seen him before, as if my father served under him… Very well, we shall be off!” The other guardsman said with confidence.
Shortly afterwards, they both made haste to the center of the town. Karr watched them run out of sight due to buildings blocking his view, and then he started to open the heavy metal doors slowly and walked inside the building. He scanned around inside the auditorium. The only light source he has is the faint sunlight from outside, mostly being blocked off by the dark clouds. He stopped his movement and closed his eyes while crossing his arms as if he sensed that someone else is in the room with him.
“You were a bit late for the assault Glenn…” Karr said loudly but calmly as it echoes throughout the building.
Glenn was leaning up against the archway of the metal doors with his arms crossed too, smirking at Karr. “I’ll admit, I was running a tad bit late. But I can assure you, gathering more recruits for the assault was worth it. And for the chaos that ensured throughout this whole town…”
He walks a few paces towards Karr while turning around basking in the faint sunlight while breathing deeply. “Was well worth witnessing…” Glenn chuckled.
Karr thought for a bit about the innocent townsfolk and the young soldiers dying out in this assault they planned up, but shook the thought out of his head as he opened his eyes and looked straight ahead into the darkness of the auditorium. His mind keeping focus of their end goal to their plans, may it be wrong in many ways. With that assurance in mind, he continued to march on into the darkness with his purpose as Glenn watched him with a blank look on his face.
“As long as you had a good reason I suppose, and did initiate this assault like we planned…” Karr said as he continued on, landing every step he makes going down the center stairway.
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“I’m impressed that a human, such as you, can see in the dark very well.” Glenn smirked, as he follows Karr into the dark.
“I cannot see in the dark…” Karr said as he stopped at the end of the stairway before the back stage, reminiscing his times when he would give out a speech to raise morale to the townsfolk back then when he was general.
“Are there any obstacles in the way on stage?” Karr asked Glenn.
Glenn looked on stage and spotted a desk about five feet from the front of the stage directly in front of Karr. “None” Glenn said as he hid his smile.
Karr advanced onward and bumped into the desk, half expecting the goblin to play him as a fool, and heard Glenn snicker about the prank. Karr turned his head to the side to where Glenn is behind from where the snicker came from, and then he faced forward and moved around the desk as he strode on.
Karr halted at a stone wall, he can’t see but imagine, a carving of a triangle reaching from bottom up about six feet high. In the center is a female figure in robes holding her arms up as she’s closing her eyes. Above her palms, is a symbol of a star shaped figure. Glenn tilts his head and scratches it with his right hand while closing his eyes.
“Is this it? This mural doesn’t have any hints of a barrier on it. Doesn’t even look much like a symbolic form of anything important but a primitive art design.” Glenn critiqued while yawning.
Karr, ignoring the remark, fetched his necklace from his plate mail. Revealing a silver key attached to it. He started to feel for the star with his left hand, then he slid the key looking for a keyhole with his right. After he fixated it in the center of the star, he pushed it slightly forward with ease. He then twists it to the right, following with a loud click afterwards. He then pushed with both hands as the hidden double stone doors move into the hidden room slowly, while dropping dust from the center. He slowly walks in after the dust cloud cleared away, following behind him, Glenn.
“To think your people would hide something as amazing as this room in a backwoods town such as this place.” Glenn said after whistling in amazement.
He walks past Karr to scan the room, he notices there’s an alter in the center that is about thirty feet in diameter. Five feet away from the sides of the alters are four pillars that rise to twelve feet high. Each pillar are circular in a foot and a half diameter, and have an archway connected to four smaller looking pillars that are a foot spaced from each other. Beneath the big pillars there are runic carvings circled around them about a foot distance from each pillar. As for the central pillars, there’s runic carvings circled around all four of them about two feet from them. The alter has a step way around it, about five steps from the ground.
“This barrier was created by this country’s prized lineage of barrier magicians known as the Leviticus.” Karr said as Glenn jumped over the step way into the alter scanning the carvings.
“The Leviticus knew what they were doing. This barrier is some real work, even ancient. I’m surprised this country has some history to it.” Glenn smirked as he scanned around the pillars of the other circles.
“This country was founded by a coup de tat from fifty years ago of two separate countries. The Leviticus we’re more of a neutral clan, the mages that are born in that family had to be women. It was the way of their heritage. For now, I know not of the current remainder of the clan. Last I recalled there was only one survivor from the civil war that ended before I defected ten years ago.” Karr stated before Glenn turned around to Karr.
“This family was founded after the coup de tat?” Glenn asked curiously and confused.
“No, their family is that of an ancient time spanning beyond centuries.” Karr said clearly.
“Makes sense, seeing as how this barrier is very old itself. It’ll take some time but with the scrolls that me and Evan made, I will break this. Whatever was sealed here from long ago, is most likely weakened by now, it’s soul might not even be enough but better than most rabble we fetch here and there. Are you okay with me expending your resources to release whatever is sealed in here?” Glenn asked with a grin.
Karr closed his eyes for a moment then opened them back up again. “Proceed, there’s no going back to what we started…” Karr stated calmly.
Glenn’s grin grew wider as his eyes bulged a bit. “Then let’s let the fun begin!” Glenn cackled as he fetched four scrolls from his robe and started to line one by one up against each big pillar, then headed to the center to begin the ritual.
“I will leave you to your devices, as for me… I’ll make sure no one interrupts you.” Karr stated firmly as he turned around and strode off into the darkness.
“Do make sure no one interrupts me, and also… Look out for the desk!” Glenn chuckled as Karr stopped and imagined an obstacle at the stage this time, but in vain, he did accidently kicked it which Glenn did hear it. Glenn chuckled again, “Now… Let’s get started shall we?” Glenn started the chant in the ancient tongue.